To Hands Free, or Not to Hands Free?

By. Christopher J. Murphy

What is Hands Free Driving?

Hey Siri! Hey Google! Alexa! These are all popular digital assistants that has made several functions of your phone only a

voice command away. These digital assistants on your phone can connect

to your car via Bluetooth or through an auxiliary cord. With this

technology, people can make phone calls, listen to and reply to text

messages, search the web, and listen to music all through voice command

without ever touching your cellular device. But… is hands free driving

safe?

Does Hands Free Equal Risk Free?

With hands free driving, people can keep their hands

on the wheel and their eyes on the road, all while

using the functions of their cellular phone. According

to sciencedaily.com and Virginia Tech (2019), “the

primarily cognitive secondary task of talking on a

hands-free device does not appear to have any detrimental effects.” However, Insurancejorurnal.com suggests that

mental distractions can last upwards of 27 seconds after using voice commands. For the least distracting tasks, distractions

can last about 15 seconds.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) created a ranking for voice-activated systems which shows how easy it is for

the system to distract a driver. According to AAA, a category 1 distraction is the same as listening to the radio or listening

to an audiobook. A category 2 distraction is the same as talking on the phone. A category 3 distraction is the same as

sending a voice-activated text. Category 4 distractions are the same as actively using your phone while driving. A category

5 distraction is performing a highly-challenging task.

 To Hands Free, or Not to Hands Free?
By. Christopher J. Murphy

What does this mean?

When driving, nothing is risk free. There is always a chance that a system could distract a driver, causing an automobile

accident. To prevent distracted driving:

 Do not engage in highly emotional or mentally taxing conversations via text or phone call while you are driving.

 Do not physically text and drive.

 Do not remove your safety restraints to use your cellular device.

 Only physically use your phone when you are completely stopped.

 Put your phone on “Do not disturb” while you are driving.

 Turn your phone off while driving.

Resources

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2015/10/26/386116.htm

https://colonialdrivingschool.com/blog/hands-free-driving-safer-driving/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190207173255.htm